A growing number of Jamaican parents are looking at alternative learning systems in an effort to have their children achieve academic excellence, given the increasing competitive nature of the classroom and work environments.

One such system is the Montessori method of teaching, which has been adapted on the island with considerable success, according to its practitioners here.

The method is characterised by an emphasis on self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher (often called a director, or guide). It stresses the importance of adapting the child's learning environment to his or her developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing academic concepts and practical skills. It is also characterised by the use of autodidactic (self-correcting) equipment to introduce various concepts.

"Montessori is a scientific and sequential method of teaching which allows children to discover and learn from their own experiences gained from manipulating child-sized learning apparatus in the prepared environment. In the Montessori classroom, the teacher introduces the materials in a systematic way depending on the child's developmental needs. The classroom is designed to promote self-discipline, independence and responsibility. The children develop a foundation in language, math, cultural subjects, geography, physical sciences, music and art," said Avril Althea Bennett, director/administrator of the Montessori Centre in St Andrew.

The Montessori Centre is one of a few schools with people with Montessori accreditation in Jamaica. Another is Total Care Learning Centre, run by Sharon Marley, daughter of the late reggae icon Bob Marley. The Montessori Centre was started under different management in the early 1980s by a group of concerned parents, Bennett said.

In a typical Montessori classroom, the teacher introduces the materials to the child individually or in small groups. The teacher takes up the materials in a certain way and walks to a table or floor mats and manipulates the materials. The teacher then replaces the materials on the shelf when finished and encourages the child to do the same. In this way, the child learns abstract concepts by doing concrete activities, Bennett explained.

The actual activities seem straightforward, but training is important for the teacher to know how and when to introduce the materials depending on the child's level of development, Bennett said.

"We keep a lot of records on the individual child so we can know how they are progressing and what is the next activity to be introduced," she told Career & Education.

There are several accrediting bodies in North America, such as the American Montessori Society, American Montessori Institute and the North American Montessori Centre in Canada, according to Bennett, who has been in the field for 13 years.

"Anyone who is experienced in Montessori will know whether you have the training or not. There is a way you behave in the environment which will indicate this," she said.

The Montessori method emphasises the child-centred approach, and it is not the only learning system to do so.

"Research shows that the child-centred approach where the teacher is a faciltator rather than directing and controlling the children, results in much better outcomes for the children," noted senior lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Child Health at the University of the West Indies, Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughan. "In the past, there was the 'chalk and talk' in which you get the child to recite and regurgitate information and that doesn't help the child. When they are discovering for themselves they stimulate those aspects of the brain for reasoning and thinking."

Samms-Vaughan, who is also chair of the Early Childhood Commission, said the law states that early childhood programmes should have activities that encourage children to play by themselves and in groups, similar to the Montessori method.

"You don't have to have a sign that says 'Montessori school' to use the child-centred approach," she said.

Bennett concurred, noting that students of local teacher-training colleges and the NCT/VET programme on early childhood education are required to research Dr Montessori's methods as part of their courses, and to introduce them into their classrooms.

A feature of the Montessori Centre is the small class size - five children to one teacher at the toddler stage, and 12 children to one teacher at the kinder stage.

For the most part, parents are pleased with their children's progress.

"From the feedback from 95 per cent of the parents is that their children are doing very well when they go on to the traditional schools. They do well in math, the languages, they have no problem in reading, and they excel in the sciences. Montessori prepares the child for a lifetime of creative thinking and learning," said Bennett.

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